When I'm With You
by ChanMon04
Summary: What if Monica and not Joey had returned to Heckles' apartment the next morning and found Chandler? Chapter 4 added. C&M R
1. Default Chapter

Hi! :-) I recently saw the episode TOW Heckles Dies, and this short C&M scene came to mind. If this has been done before, I apologize for any duplication. I don't know if I'll continue this, but I wanted to write this particular scene.

Thanks for reading!

Disclaimer: I don't own anything related to "Friends".

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A C&M Scene From TOW Heckles Dies  
  
The next morning, after having spent time the previous day in Mr. Heckles' apartment with the rest of her friends upon learning of his untimely death, Monica entered his apartment once more and was surprised to see Chandler sitting on the sofa.  
  
"This is where you've been all night?" she asked, silently questioning her friend's state of mind.  
  
"Yeah," Chandler replied, self-consciously rising from the couch. If the truth were known, Monica was the last person he wanted to see. Especially in his current frame of mind. "I wanted to look at more of Heckles' things," he hastily explained. "We had a lot in common. Unfortunately."  
  
"Like what?" Monica asked, feeling somewhat afraid for Chandler because of how sad he looked.  
  
"Check this out and tell me I'm not going to end up like Heckles."  
  
Monica jumped when Chandler thrust a box containing photographs of women Heckles had dated at her. Unflattering comments had been written on the backs of each photo. Puzzled, Monica accepted the container and began reading what Heckles had written.  
  
"Okay," she said, shrugging to conceal her discomfort at having read something so personal written by a man she had hardly known and liked, "so you both tend to find fault with the women you date. Big deal. It doesn't mean you're going to end up like him."  
  
"Yes, it does," Chandler insisted. "I'm going to grow old alone, Monica. You guys are all going to move on with your...your fascinating lives, and I'm never going to find anyone to be with. Ever. I'm going to be alone and miserable. It's all so clear to me."  
  
He looked around the nearly empty apartment.  
  
"It's all too clear to me now."  
  
Dejected, he sank down on the sofa and flung one of the pictures onto the floor.  
  
A heavy wave of emotion engulfed Monica. She had never realized how much Chandler meant to her. She didn't take him for granted; she merely thought of him as her witty friend who lived across the hall. But seeing the unmasked pain etched so deeply on his otherwise adorable face nearly broke her heart. She couldn't bear the thought of Chandler feeling so despondent about his life and his future.  
  
Without bothering to consider the consequences of her action, she set the box on the coffee table, moved so she was standing mere inches from her friend, and in a heartfelt gesture, bent down and placed gentle, loving hands on his thigh.  
  
She gazed into his clear blue eyes and whispered her plea. "Tell me what I can do to help."


	2. Continuation of the scene

Hi! :-) Thanks for your nice reviews. I appreciate them very much!! I thought of a little more, so I decided to add on to the scene. I'm still not exactly sure where I'm going with this, but if more comes to me, I'll post it. Sorry for the short scenes, but I'm trying to see if I can really write this and make it believable and enjoyable. :-)

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(Continuation of the scene in Heckles' apartment between Chandler and Monica.)  
  
"That's just it, Mon. You can't help me. Not with this. No one can."  
  
He looked down at her hands still on his leg, and with a wan smile, he removed them.  
  
"I'd better go," he said, standing up. "I don't want the others to see me like this."  
  
I didn't want you to see me like this either, he added silently.  
  
"There must be something I can do," Monica said, following him closely out the door. "I can bake your favorite cookies, brownies, a cake or a pie. I can cook you a delicious seven-course meal. Whatever you want, Chandler. Just tell me, and I'll do it."  
  
Chandler stopped. Despite how low he felt, Monica's generous spirit brought a small smile to his lips.  
  
"You, more than anyone else, know that food doesn't solve anything."  
  
"I know," she said, her tone slightly defensive because she felt so utterly helpless, "but you have to eat. Maybe one of my home-cooked meals will make you feel better. It couldn't hurt to try."  
  
"I appreciate the offer," Chandler said, his voice sincere. "But I'm going to have to pass. Thanks again, Monica. You're a great friend."  
  
And in that moment, as the two of them stood in the hallway between their apartments, the overwhelming truth hit Monica square in the eye. Why had she never realized it before? She didn't want to be friends with Chandler. No. What she wanted was to be more than friends with him. Much more. But in his current state of mind, could she convince him that maybe what, or rather whom, he needed in his life was standing right in front of him? And given what she knew about the way he thought his future was so bleak and without hope, was she willing to take the risk?


	3. Chapter 2

Hi! :-) Thanks for your nice reviews. I appreciate them very much!! I decided to give this story a title.

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"Hey, Mon," Rachel said, when she saw her friend enter the apartment. "Where did you run off to so early?"  
  
"I went to Heckles' apartment," she replied, after pouring herself a cup of coffee and joining Rachel at the table.  
  
"Why?"  
  
Monica shrugged. "I don't know. I felt drawn there. Like maybe I still needed to find something or see something at his place."  
  
"And did you?" Rachel asked, after taking a sip of the hot java.  
  
"Well," Monica said, running her fingers through her short, dark locks. "I found Chandler."  
  
"Chandler?" Rachel said, with a slight laugh. "What was he doing there? Looking for new material for his humor?"  
  
"No, not really. He's very down about his life, Rach. I'm worried about him."  
  
"I'm sorry," Rachel said, placing a hand on her friend's forearm. "But he'll be all right. He'll snap out of this. He'll tell us a few jokes and be feeling better in no time. I mean, he's Chandler."  
  
What exactly that meant, Monica had no idea, but she didn't want to continue this discussion with Rachel.  
  
"Yeah," she agreed, forcing a smile. "He's Chandler. He'll get over it. Well, since we're all meeting at Central Perk soon, I'm gonna finish getting ready."  
  
Monica had no sooner left the room than Joey entered the apartment. After picking up a piece of dry toast and wolfing it down, he demanded to know what Monica had done to Chandler.  
  
"What?" Rachel asked, clearly not understanding her friend's agitation. "Why would you think Monica had done something to Chandler?"  
  
"Because he's all messed up, and he said he'd just had a conversation with Monica." Frantic, he looked around. "Where is she?"  
  
"I'm right here, Joey," Monica said, standing just outside the doorway of her room. "Chandler was already upset when I found him. I didn't do anything to him."  
  
"He thinks he's going to die alone, like Heckles did," Joey said, reaching Monica. "Why would he think that, Mon, and why didn't you help him?"  
  
"Sweetie, I tried," Monica patiently explained, "but he doesn't want my help. Maybe you or Ross could help him. Maybe he just needs to do a few, you know, 'guy' things to cheer him up."  
  
"Yeah," Rachel agreed. "Go do some 'guy' things, Joey. I'm sure that's all he needs."  
  
"Well, if you really think it'll help..." Joey said, sounding doubtful.  
  
"We do," Rachel and Monica said in unison.  
  
"Okay," Joey said, deciding to give them the benefit of the doubt as he swiped another piece of toast. "I'll go talk to him again."  
  
But as Joey left the apartment, he was not convinced their suggestion, no matter how well intended, was the answer. So it came as no surprise to him when Chandler politely but firmly declined his friend's invite.  
  
===========  
  
"Who called?" Monica asked Rachel a short time later.  
  
She'd heard the phone ring but had let Rachel answer it.  
  
"Phoebe. She's meeting Ross, and they're heading for the coffeehouse. Wanna go now?"  
  
"If you guys don't mind, I think I'm going to stay here."  
  
"Do you feel all right?" Rachel asked, concerned.  
  
"Oh, yeah," Monica said, not wanting to worry her friend. "I just thought of a few things around here that I need to be doing."  
  
"Are you sure? We'll miss you."  
  
"I'm sure. Tell the gang 'hi' for me."  
  
====  
  
Across the hall, Chandler was having a smiliar conversation with Joey.  
  
"Oh, man," Joey said, "now you don't wanna hang out with us? What is with you?"  
  
Chandler heard the frustration in his roommate's voice and wished he could just shrug off his bad mood, but he couldn't. Going to Central Perk was the last thing he wanted to do.  
  
"I just don't feel like socializing today. That _is_ allowed, right?"  
  
"Yeah," Joey acknowledged with a frown. "I guess so."  
  
"Give my best to the others."  
  
Once Joey had gone, Chandler sat in front of his laptop and tried to concentrate on reading a report for work. He soon gave up and instead began to type out his thoughts. They came fast and furious; his fingers could barely keep up. He felt if he didn't capture everything he was feeling and thinking, he would explode. After typing for over an hour without taking a break, he clicked on the "save" button and breathed a sigh of relief.  
  
"Now that was therapeutic," he told his trusty laptop.  
  
After standing up to stretch his stiff muscles, he reached for his jacket and headed out the door. He didn't want to go to the coffeehouse, but he thought fresh air might help his frame of mind. As he traveled down a busy street in the Village, he thought he saw Janice, a woman he had dated off and on without much success, coming towards him. He quickened his pace, almost without realizing it, but as he drew closer to the woman, he saw that she was not Janice. He stopped at the corner, crossed the street, and headed back towards his apartment.  
  
Janice.

She'd seem to understand him and to truly care about him. Maybe he hadn't given her a fair chance. Maybe there could be something between them again that would be lasting. Maybe she was just what he needed.

Maybe, just maybe, he would give her a call.


	4. Chapter 3

Hi! :-) Thanks again for the nice reviews!! I hope Chapter 3 will be pleasant surprise! :-) Thanks for reading!!

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Chapter 3  
  
Monica could, of course, always find something that needed to be dusted or polished in Apartment 20, but that was not why she had opted out of joining the others at Central Perk. She wanted time to herself to sort through her emotions. The rush she'd felt when she and Chandler had stood in the hallway consumed her. Where had it come from? Why had it appeared? And, most importantly, would it last? At least for longer than a day? A week? A month?  
  
When she gave serious thought to her relationship with Chandler, she realized, by all accounts, they shouldn't even be friends. He had not treated her kindly at her parents' house on Thanksgiving in 1987; and even though he didn't know she had heard him call her fat, the fact remained he had said it. And it had hurt her. Very much.  
  
Getting her so-called revenge on him the following year had netted disastrous results, thanks to her clumsiness with a kitchen knife that caused him to lose a portion of one of his toes. That was not the kind of pain she had intended to inflict on him, and she couldn't have felt worse about the unfortunate accident.  
  
But if she were honest with herself, she would have to admit that a lot of her subsequent weight loss throughout that year had to be attributed to Chandler. She realized she liked him, even though their initial meeting had not gone well, at least enough to start seriously losing weight. It was his thoughtless remark that finally got her motivated enough to change her eating habits. And, smiling at the memory, she fondly recalled the surprised, yet, almost lustful look on his face when she had made her grand entrance that day. Yes, for that reason alone, it had been well worth the agony she had gone through to shed those extra pounds.  
  
Also, because of Ross, she knew something about Chandler's traumatic childhood, and his struggles endeared him to her. The fact that, on most occasions, he cracked jokes and had a great sense of humor, amazed her. She knew she could never look at herself that way. As her mother so often took glee in pointing out, Monica could not laugh at herself. But for the most part, until recently, Chandler could, and that was a quality she definitely admired.  
  
Which was why his behavior the last two days concerned her and why she couldn't help but want him to realize just how great a guy he truly was. She believed that with all her being. If Chandler had a heart of stone or was cruel to her friends, she knew she wouldn't care about him. But he wasn't like that. He meant well. She saw that, even if the others some times didn't. She saw someone trying to fit in, trying to find his way. And she desperately wanted to help him.  
  
But how?  
  
===========  
  
Chandler arrived at his apartment and tossed his jacket onto the sofa. He sat on one of the bar stools and stared at his phone on the counter.  
  
Janice.  
  
He picked up the cordless phone, started to push the buttons for the phone number he'd somehow memorized, and then, as her nerve-grating laugh pulsated in his mind, he threw it down as if it had scorched his hand.  
  
What was he doing? Had he gone crazy? What could he be thinking? He wasn't seriously considering calling Janice?! Was he?  
  
"What are you doing, man?" he asked out loud.  
  
He jumped off the stool as if the phone was contagious and paced the small area of his living room.  
  
"I can't call her. I must be going insane. I have to be. There's no other explanation for this. Of course, I'm standing in the middle of an empty room, talking to myself. Yeah," he continued, looking around the apartment. "There's a padded cell with my name on it just waiting for me."  
  
Knowing he needed to leave his place, he threw open the door and raced across the hall to the safety of Monica and Rachel's apartment. They were at the coffeehouse. He would be alone and could pull himself together. No one would ever know what he had actually been contemplating.  
  
He opened the door and stepped inside. As soon as he closed the door, he leaned his back against it and breathed deeply. Monica's apartment. Familiar territory. Appetizing aromas. No thoughts of Janice here. Only nice memories of home-cooked meals and desserts, laughter, fun times and, of course, the occasional disagreement that was bound to happen among six friends.  
  
"Rachel?" Monica asked, stepping out of her bedroom. "You weren't gone..."  
  
She stopped when she saw Chandler leaning against her door, looking very appealing in a black pullover sweater and faded blue jeans.  
  
"Mo-Mo-Monica! What are you doing here? I thought...I thought...I thought you would be at Central Perk."  
  
"I thought you were there," she countered, just as shocked to see him as he was to see her.  
  
"No," he said, slowly stepping away from the door. "I decided not to go."  
  
"Me, too," she said, moving to meet him halfway.  
  
"Why...why?" he asked, still stunned to see her in her own apartment.  
  
How crazy was that?  
  
She shrugged and hugged herself. "I don't know. I didn't feel like socializing."  
  
Chandler stretched out his arms towards her and motioned wildly with his hands. "That's the same thing I said to Joey!"  
  
She gave him a small smile. "I guess we're thinking along the same lines today."  
  
Chandler shook his head and shivered as he recalled what he had almost done. "You wouldn't say that if you knew what I almost did."  
  
"What did you almost do?" she asked, pleased he seemed more talkative than he had earlier.  
  
He plopped down on the sofa; she joined him.  
  
"I can't tell you," he said, running a hand through his hair. "You'll think I'm certifiable."  
  
Then he looked at her and frowned.  
  
"Maybe you already do."  
  
"No, Chandler," she said, trying to be the friend she knew he needed. "I don't think that. Not at all."  
  
"I came thisclose, Monica, thisclose," he repeated, using his thumb and his forefinger to illustrate just how close, "to calling Janice and asking for another chance. Could I **be **any more pathetic?!"  
  
Monica's senses went on immediate alert. Janice! No way! He was not going to call Janice, and she would make damn sure of that!  
  
"You are not calling her, Chandler Bing! I won't let you!"  
  
Monica's voice had risen at least two octaves. Chandler retreated to the corner of the couch and tilted his head back.  
  
"Geez, Mon. Calm down. I said I almost called her. I didn't actually do it."  
  
"Good," she said, her voice still above normal. "Now, you stay here, Bing. I'm going to your apartment, and I'm taking your phone."  
  
Monica jumped up from the couch; so did Chandler.  
  
"Monica," he said, with a slight chuckle in his voice at her absurd idea, "you can't, you know, you can't just take my phone."  
  
"Watch me."  
  
"No, I'm serious. You can't take my phone. What about Joey? His agent calls him all the time."  
  
"So?" she challenged, a glint in her beautiful crystal blue eyes. "I'll be his secretary. I'll take his messages. I have my phone pen and pad right there on the table."  
  
"I have no doubts about that," he said, placing his hands on either one of her upper arms, "but you can't take our phone. I'll be okay. What I'm feeling will pass. I'll come to my senses. Eventually."  
  
"That's not good enough," she insisted. "Why, Chandler? Why Janice? Why would you even think of calling her?"  
  
He shrugged. "I don't really know, which is probably why I didn't do it. Maybe I thought of her because she's a familiar person in my life, and she does pretty much accept me for who I am. But that's not necessarily a good thing, is it?"  
  
"Chandler, come here," Monica said.  
  
She reached for his hand and led him back to the sofa. They sat together, facing each other.  
  
"Chandler, you don't need Janice. You don't."  
  
"What makes you so sure?"  
  
His voice dared her to tell him he was wrong.  
  
"Because I know you well enough to know you value your sanity," she said, her voice rising again from frustration.  
  
She willed herself to calm down.  
  
"Just trust me, Chandler. You don't need Janice."  
  
"But what if she's the one I'm supposed to be with, and I just can't see it?"  
  
"You can't see it because it's not there," Monica retorted.  
  
"Monica, why are you so upset about this?"  
  
Chandler had to pose the question. He had to know why Monica was taking such a personal and hard-nosed interest in his love life.  
  
"Because I know that calling Janice is not the answer. Talk to me, Chandler. Don't you know how much I care about you?"  
  
What Chandler's response would have been was interrupted by the shrill ringing of the telephone. Monica answered it with annoyance.  
  
"Oh, hi, Mom. No. I'm sorry. That's not the tone of voice I usually use when I answer the phone."  
  
She looked at Chandler, who gave her a sympathetic nod and smile, and rolled her eyes.  
  
"No, Ross didn't tell me you and Dad were coming to the city this weekend. Well, I haven't spoken to him today."  
  
As she listened to her mother's continuous harping, Monica grabbed a pillow from the couch and squeezed it hard against her chest to keep herself from screaming.  
  
"How come you couldn't tell me directly? Of course, I want to see you and Dad. I didn't call you to tell you how excited I am to see you this weekend because I didn't know you were coming!"  
  
Monica was now pacing the apartment while looking for something to throw. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Chandler quietly heading for the door and reached out to stop him. She shook her head and motioned for him to sit on a chair.  
  
"Mom, I have to go. I'll call you later."  
  
She hung up before her mother could protest.  
  
"That's gonna cost you," Chandler said, feeling badly for Monica and wishing he could think of something witty to say.  
  
But he had nothing.  
  
"I know," she said, not caring at that moment.  
  
"Look at us," Chandler said, the irony of their situations dawning on him. "We make quite a pair, don't we?"  
  
Monica gazed into his clear azure eyes and wanted nothing more than to be in his arms.  
  
"Yes, we do," she agreed.  
  
Her voice had taken on a soft, sensual quality that affected Chandler more than he was willing to admit.  
  
"I should go," he said, his voice husky, as he drank in the lovely sight she presented.  
  
Her hair was slightly tousled; her cheeks flushed from the effort she had exerted on her mother's conversation.  
  
"Please don't go," she said.  
  
It came out as more of a plea rather than a request.  
  
"I really don't want you to be alone, Chandler. I am adamant that you not call Janice."  
  
"What if I promise not to call her?" he offered.  
  
"I still don't want you to go. I need you, too. We need each other."  
  
"We have each other, Monica. We'll always be friends."  
  
She took a deep breath before she voiced the question that had been plaguing her.  
  
"Have you...have you ever given any thought...any thought at all...to the possibility of us being more than friends?"  
  
There. She said it.  
  
"You and me," he asked, pointing his index finger at her and then at himself, "becoming more than friends? As in, like, well...dating?"  
  
"Yes," Monica said, relieved he hadn't left her apartment in a fit of laughter or panic. "What if we gave dating a try? I mean, we like to be around each other, right? We spend a lot of time together, and we have a good time. Don't we?"  
  
"We," Chandler said, still coming to terms with Monica's intriguing suggestion, "would just be more...more intimate?"  
  
"Exactly. What do you think, Chandler?" she asked again, tilting her head to the side and giving it a toss in a flirty way, "wanna give dating a shot?"  
  
Chandler looked at Monica as if seeing her for the first time. Really seeing her.  
  
"This is so incredible," he said.  
  
The tender look on his face made her heart race. He ran his fingers gently through her hair.  
  
"That you would actually consider dating me. Are you sure you know what you're getting yourself into?"  
  
"No," Monica freely admitted, feeling lighthearted.  
  
She couldn't keep the smile from her face.  
  
"Do you know what you're getting yourself into, Chandler Bing?"  
  
He returned her smile and framed her face with his hands.  
  
"No, I don't, and to be honest, it's the most wonderful feeling in the world."


	5. Chapter 4

Hi! :-) Thanks for your reviews. I'm glad you like the story. Hope you enjoy this chapter.

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Chapter 4  
  
With his hands still framing her lovely face, Chandler inclined his mouth towards Monica's. If she had shown any resistance at all, he would have backed away. But she didn't. She seemed to want to feel his lips on hers as much as he wanted it to happen. Unfortunately, jovial voices from the other side of the door ruined what would have been their first official kiss as a couple.  
  
"They're back," Monica said, hating to do it but knowing she had to break contact with Chandler.  
  
"Of course, they are," he said, trying to compose himself so he could greet their friends without them getting suspicious.  
  
"We're not going to say anything about this, are we?" Monica questioned, resisting the urge to bite her thumbnail as butterflies danced in her belly, partly from the excitement she was experiencing at being with Chandler and partly from nervousness at how the two of them would handle this situation they'd suddenly found themselves in.  
  
"Are you kidding?" Chandler said, his eyes widening. "We are definitely not talking about us in front of them."  
  
"Okay," she said, breathing a sigh of relief.  
  
It was obvious they both needed time to adjust to the newness of their relationship.  
  
They added some distance between them and smiled cheerfully when the gang entered the apartment.  
  
"Hey," Rachel said. "I didn't expect to find you two together."  
  
"Me neither," Joey said. "But," he quickly added, "I'm glad to see Chandler is no longer pouting."  
  
"I wasn't pouting," Chandler retorted.  
  
"Sure, man," Joey said, heading straight for the fridge. "Whatever you say."  
  
"Hey, guys," Ross said, crossing to stand next to his sister. "I have news for you, Mon."  
  
"If it's about Mom and Dad visiting this weekend, I already know," she told him.  
  
She tried not to let too much irritation seep into her voice.  
  
"Oh," Ross said, his enthusiasm somewhat dampened that his sister already knew the latest.  
  
"Don't you know you're supposed to have me on speed dial so you can give me the great news as soon as you hear it?" Monica said, sarcasm dripping from her voice.  
  
"Uh-oh," Phoebe said, waving her jeweled hands in the air. "I'm sensing some bad vibes."  
  
"I thought I was going to see you at Central Perk," Ross defended. "Did Mom tell you she and Dad are taking Rachel and me to dinner on Saturday night? Of course, you're invited."  
  
Monica stole a quick glance at Chandler. Ordinarily, the way her brother presented his news would have angered her, but knowing she had an excellent reason to pass on dinner made her feel almost giddy instead of anxious.  
  
"I may already have plans," she hedged.  
  
Chandler started and then stopped himself.  
  
Was she talking about being with him instead of her parents, her brother and her best friend, who also happened to be Ross' girlfriend?  
  
"You didn't tell me that," Rachel said, almost indignant at the thought of her best friend keeping something from her. "Plans with who?"  
  
"Actually," Ross took pride in correcting anyone who misused the word 'who', "it's whom."  
  
"Oh, who cares," Rachel snapped. "There? Did I use it correctly that time?"  
  
"Yes, you did," Ross said, undeterred by his girlfriend's harsh tone.  
  
"Anyway," Rachel said, after glaring at Ross, "what's going on Saturday night, Mon?"  
  
"Well," she said, trying to think on her feet. "I may have dinner plans with a friend."  
  
There. That wasn't a lie. Right?  
  
Ross shook his head. "I don't know if that's going to be good enough for our parents, Mon."  
  
"Well, it's going to have to be," she said loudly, "because I'm not available."  
  
"Ooo," Phoebe said, suddenly inspired, "I could go. To either event. I could pretend to be you, Monica, with either your friend or your parents. I'll let you choose. It could be fun."  
  
She smiled and looked at the others who just nodded politely so as not to upset her.  
  
Monica stared at Phoebe as if she had just landed from Mars and then shook her head.  
  
"I gotta get to work," Monica said, happy for the escape.  
  
===============  
  
Unable to keep the smile from her face throughout most of her work day, Monica tried to rein in her thoughts about Chandler, but she didn't always succeed. He had actually agreed to go out with her and hadn't run off in a panic when she mentioned the two of them dating. She just wanted to spend some time alone with him, away from the others, so they could concentrate on each other. How they were supposed to arrange that, though, she couldn't begin to figure out.  
  
When she left the restaurant later that night, the most pleasant surprise awaited her.  
  
Chandler.  
  
He stood discreetly away from the employee's exit and greeted her with a winsome smile as soon as she came into his view.  
  
"Chandler!" Monica said, clearly thrilled to see him. "What are you doing here?"  
  
"I've been wanting to see you since you left the apartment. I've missed you."  
  
Monica graced him with a bright smile right before he enveloped her in his arms. They hugged for a long moment but didn't kiss. The street was not nearly private enough.  
  
"What do you want to do?" Chandler asked, when they finally broke apart.  
  
"I want to go anywhere except Central Perk," Monica said. "Am I a horrible person for not wanting to be with the others tonight?"  
  
"I don't think so," Chandler said, pleased she felt the same way he did. "I was with them for most of the day. Nothing earth shattering is going on, believe me."  
  
"Does Phoebe still want to be me?" Monica said, her tone incredulous.  
  
Chandler reached for Monica's hand and intertwined his fingers with hers as they walked along the semi-crowded street.  
  
"What was that all about, Mon?"  
  
She gave him a sly smile. "You mean my sudden previous engagement?"  
  
"Yeah."  
  
"Well, I thought maybe you and I would want to do something on Saturday night. It's so rare that I have a night off from the restaurant, but this Saturday happens to be one of them."  
  
"Wow," he said, halting their progress in the middle of the busy sidewalk. "I can't believe you would blow off dinner with your parents to be with me."  
  
"Why wouldn't I?" she said, reaching to hold his other hand in hers. "Can you not tell how happy I am that we're together?"  
  
"But, technically," Chandler felt obliged to point out, "we haven't been together. I mean, we haven't gone out on our first date yet."  
  
"So," Monica said, feeling more playful than she had in years, "rectify that situation, Mr. Bing. Decide how and where we're going to spend our first date and then let's get to it!"


End file.
